A rally in Taipei yesterday called on the government to increase penalties for and protections against child abuse, following the death of a one-year-old boy nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴) in 2023.
Kai Kai was allegedly tortured to death on Christmas Eve 2023 by his licensed at-home caregiver, Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱), and Liu’s sister, Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳).
The two attended their final court hearing on Wednesday, with sentencing scheduled for Tuesday.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
The rally, organized by a group called the “Mothers’ Online Group” — a grassroots movement formed on social media by concerned parents and citizens following Kai Kai’s case — took place on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building.
Rally convenor Lee Yu-chun (李侑宭) said the demonstration was held to call for systemic reforms, as child abuse cases remain frequent, and have not been effectively controlled and prevented.
Lee called for the establishment of a “child and youth protection ministry” to facilitate interagency cooperation among prosecutors, police and officials in social welfare, education and healthcare.
She also urged the government to assign dedicated doctors and social workers to train frontline child protection personnel, such as teachers, police officers and healthcare practitioners, in identifying potential abuse cases.
There should also be home visit assistants who help social workers in doing “preventive” home visits and follow-up video visits for high-risk families, she added.
In terms of legislation, she urged the government to amend Article 271-1 of the Criminal Code to include a provision on the “offense of abusing a child to death,” which would increase penalties for child abuse and prohibit parole for offenders sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
To promptly secure children’s safety, the government should follow South Korea’s example of allowing authorities to immediately separate children from suspected abusers and place them in emergency care even before a formal conviction is made, she said.
The rally gathered about 84,000 signatures in a petition calling for stronger child protection laws and drew support from more than 10,000 participants domestically and abroad, including Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Janet Chia (賈永婕) and entertainer Jane Lee (李佩甄).
One participant, a woman surnamed Chang (張), said she traveled from Taichung with her husband, who carried a 1m handmade pencil model adorned with a white flower.
“The pencil represents the one Kai Kai was reportedly holding when he passed away, and the white flower symbolizes our love and support for him, as we did in another rally at the court,” she said.
“We hope that as a society, we can catch and protect every child like Kai Kai — just as we hold the pencil with our hands,” she added.
A man surnamed Lin (林) said he traveled from Hsinchu with his brother to express support, adding that child abuse is an important issue worthy of attention.
“We saw information on the demonstration from Facebook and decided to participate, especially because the government seems passive about the endless child abuse cases,” he said.
Asked which advocacy at the rally he supported the most, Lin said he strongly agreed with calls to increase penalties for child abuse through legislative reform.
“Although it [the death penalty] might not be completely humane, it serves as a deterrent and can help prevent such wrongdoing from occurring in the first place,” he said, adding that Liu Tsai-hsuan showed little remorse until her conviction.
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